Reference

Error Coins to Look For, Worth £50–£2,500

The error coins worth checking your change for, then every type of British coin error explained: what it is, how it happens, how to spot it, how to authenticate it, and what it sells for. Each entry covers a single error category with UK examples and realised auction prices.

Top 10 error coins to look for in your change tonight

Five minting errors genuinely turn up in UK change: the 2008 undated 20p (£50 to £250), £2 edge inscription errors (£20 to £200), rotated-die and dual-date coins (£10 to £400), off-centre strikes (£2 to £600) and die cracks or cuds (£3 to £300). Empty your pockets and check them in that order, it takes about five minutes. The next five on the list are scarcer but worth knowing by sight. All 13 error types are catalogued below.

  1. 2008 undated 20p , £50 to £250. A mule with no date on either side: check the rim of the reverse, then the space under the portrait.
  2. £2 edge inscription errors , £20 to £200. Upside-down, wrong or missing edge lettering, on any year from 1997. Read the edge of every bimetallic £2 you have.
  3. Rotated-die and dual-date coins , £10 to £400. Reverse struck out of alignment with the obverse, best known on 2015 and 2016 £2 coins. Hold the coin by the edge and flip it top to bottom.
  4. Off-centre strikes , £2 to £600. Design visibly shifted with a blank crescent. £1 and £2 pay the most, and more again if the date still shows.
  5. Die cracks and cuds , £3 to £300. Raised lines or blobs where the die fractured. Common on 1p and 2p; a crack straight through the date pays best.
  6. Clipped planchets , £3 to £150. A curved bite missing from the rim, any year. Small clips on a 50p make £10 to £25; a clip on a bimetallic £2 pays the most.
  7. Broadstruck coins , £20 to £300. Struck without the collar, so the coin is wider, thinner and has lost its edge. Look for a 50p with rounded corners or a round £1 (1983 to 2015) that will not stack.
  8. Lamination peels , £1 to £40. A flake of surface metal lifting away. Most often the copper plating on 1p and 2p coins dated 1992 or later.
  9. Filled-die coins , £3 to £80. A letter or digit missing because grease filled the die. Only worth keeping when it takes out part of the date.
  10. Wrong-planchet strikes , £200 to £2,500. One denomination struck on the blank for another: wrong colour, wrong weight, design running off the edge. The rarest find on this list, so weigh anything that looks odd.

Almost never in change, but the one everyone asks about: the 1983 "New Pence" 2p, a proof-set die error worth £500 to £2,500.

Full ranking with prices: the UK coin errors list.

📘 UK coin errors list 📘 Dual-date / mule errors 📘 2008 undated 20p 📘 1983 New Pence 2p 📘 £2 edge inscription errors 📘 I think I found a rare coin
Mule
Mismatched obverse / reverse
Off-centre strike
Design shifted to one side
Double-die (doubled die)
Doubled image from die hubbing
Brockage
Mirror image from a stuck coin
Lamination
Surface metal layer peels
Clipped planchet
Curved bite from punching error
Wrong planchet (off-metal)
Struck on wrong-denomination blank
Die crack
Raised line from die fracture
Die cud
Major die break, featureless blob
Rotated die
Reverse rotated relative to obverse
Broadstruck
Struck without retaining collar
Missing edge inscription
No edge text or milling
Filled die
Missing letters or numbers

Why error coins are valuable

Royal Mint quality control catches the vast majority of strike errors before coins leave the mint, so any error coin in circulation represents a process failure that slipped through. Combined with collector demand, this scarcity means a £2 coin with a missing edge inscription can sell for 100× face value, and a 50p struck on the wrong planchet can clear £1,500. Larger denominations and bimetal coins (£2) typically command higher premiums than 1p or 2p errors of equivalent severity.

Counterfeits and post-mint damage are the biggest risks when buying errors. PCGS, NGC and CGS UK certification is the gold standard for any error coin worth over £200. For lower-value examples, the identification checklists on each error page below help separate genuine errors from kitchen-table fakes.

Error coin questions

What error coins should I look for in my change?

Start with the 2008 undated 20p (£50 to £250), then read the edge of every £2 for missing or upside-down lettering (£20 to £200), flip each coin top to bottom for a rotated reverse (£10 to £400), and look for off-centre designs (£2 to £600) and die cracks (£3 to £300). Those five turn up most often.

What is the most valuable error coin you can find in UK change?

A wrong-planchet strike, such as a £2 design struck on a 50p blank, sells for £200 to £2,500, but very few exist. The most valuable error that is realistically findable is the 2008 undated 20p at £50 to £250.

Is the 1983 New Pence 2p found in change?

Almost never. The 1983 2p reading NEW PENCE was issued in Royal Mint sets rather than loose into circulation, and sells for £500 to £2,500. Every 2p dated 1971 to 1981 reads NEW PENCE and is worth face value.

How do I know if an error coin is genuine?

Weigh and measure it against the standard coin first, then rule out damage after it left the Mint: a real error shows metal that flowed during striking, not cuts, filing or glue. For anything worth over £200, PCGS, NGC or CGS UK certification is the standard.

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